Lesson Plan or Class?

While lesson plans and classes seem like the same thing (they ARE very similar!) they have some definite and important differences. To learn more about the distinction between classes and lesson plans in Homeschool Planet, see below.

So what is the difference between a Class and a Lesson Plan?

A Homeschool Planet Lesson Plan is a sequence of assignments with, optionally, associated resources, links to digital content (e.g., websites, online videos, PDFs, etc.), grading categories, and attendance-tracking information.

Initially, the lesson plan that you create in the Lesson Plan Library is not scheduled, nor is it associated with any particular, current class in your calendar. However, once created, you can then “apply” it to your calendar. When you do so, that lesson plan becomes the basis for a new class in your calendar, starting on a date that you specify, with a specific schedule, and assigned to specific students.

If you want to create a lesson plan that you will use multiple times, perhaps with different students in different school years, then it makes a lot of sense for you to create the lesson plan in the Lesson Plan Library, then apply it as you need it. However, if you want to create a lesson plan that you will only use once, then you don’t need to create it in the Lesson Plan Library. You can simply create a new Class in the Calendar or Planner views, and edit the class directly.

Another difference between lesson plans and classes is the way that Notes react in each. In a lesson plan a Note is attached, also called pinned, to the assignment. This means that once applied to the calendar if you move the assignment the note will move with the assignment. If a note is applied to the calendar however it is attached to the date so if assignments are shifted the note stays on the same day. Both of these uses are helpful. If you are adding a note about a particular assignment you will want it tied to the assignment and thus created as a lesson plan in the Lesson Plan Library. If however, you are adding a note about remembering to shop for the next week’s science experiment materials you will want that note to be on Friday’s even if the assignments shift. In that case you will want to either create the schedule as a class or add the note to the lesson plan after it has been applied to the calendar, and thus, become a class.

As always, feel free to reach out to us with any questions at support@homeschoolplanet.com. We are here to help you!

For more information about using Lesson Plans in your your Homeschool Planet account see the following entries:

• Lesson Plan or Class
• Applying Lesson Plans
• Applying a Partial Lesson Plan
• Creating a Lesson Plan from a Class
• Deleting a Lesson Plan
• Finding Purchased Lesson Plans
• Sharing Lesson Plans
• Purchasing Plug-In Lesson Plans

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With Homeschool Planet lesson plans, homeschooling has never been easier!